Scientifically Interesting
by silvereyes-mauvesoul
Summary: "Carlos' hands were wrapped around the steering wheel, fingers tensed with excitement. The minivan had been chasing the setting sun for almost six hours, desperate to get to the town before it set, but it wasn't long now. Five miles, and they'd be there... Night Vale." Thank you so much to the amazing beta, ananiah, for all the editing she did for this story! *hugs* :)
1. Five Miles

Five miles to go.

The desert seemed to roll on endlessly, waves of heat and golden sand that never changed. The same monotonous hills, over and over. But now a little black strip had appeared on the horizon, and the GPS on the dashboard confirmed the passenger's suspicions, chirping in a cheery female voice that they were close to their destination. Carlos' hands were wrapped around the steering wheel, fingers tensed with excitement. They'd been chasing the setting sun for almost six hours, desperate to get to the town before it set. He didn't think he could handle another night sleeping in the minivan, but it wasn't long now. Five miles, and they'd be there.

Night Vale.

It was almost a legend among scientists, the little desert town in the American southwest that, to many, didn't exist. But Carlos had always been one to believe in ghost stories and myths, despite being a scientist.

"Believe until proven wrong," his mother always used to tell him. The tales had caught his interest, tales of angels and dogs and strange hooded figures. And when his boss offered him the opportunity to lead a team of scientists in studying a town he considered "scientifically interesting", he had jumped at the chance.

So here he was, driving a minivan full of civilised men and women like himself towards their new home. As they drove past the beaten-up sign on the side of the road, signalling that they'd arrived, he let out a sigh - a small breath he hadn't known he was holding. The GPS crackled, the pleasant "you have arrived at-" cutting off suddenly, but Carlos barely noticed. He was too busy whipping his head from side to side, trying to take in as much as he could.

To be honest, he hadn't even been one hundred percent sure the town had existed. Some of the stories were almost too wild and weird to be believed. Almost like something the conspirators would cook up to scare people, but that sort of thing wouldn't work on him. He was a scientist, a man of maths and reason, and he wouldn't be scared off by rumours. He was here for the truth.

Ushered in by the golden sunset, the minivan drove them down narrow twisting lanes and wide open highways, crammed together haphazardly like a child's building blocks. They pulled up alongside a stately grey-brick building just off the main road. Though the building itself was dark, it was bathed in light from the sun's rays and the glowing lights of the pizza restaurant next door, stating proudly in neon letters that "No-one does a slice like Big Rico's!".

Carlos frowned, his eyebrows furrowing together in annoyance. He didn't see how he would be able to get any work done at night with all that light streaming in. The rest of the team didn't seem too worried, though. Actually, they were looking longingly at the shimmering lights in an almost trance-like state. Carlos shook his head, a small smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. He knew how to deal with a hungry team.

_Beep!_

The group jumped almost simultaneously, looking guiltily at Carlos. He took his hand off the car horn and gestured to the pizza place.

"If we get the boxes unloaded before seven, I'll buy you all pizza, ok?" He had to dive to the side to avoid the sudden mass of people streaming off the minibus. Carlos smiled to himself. He really did have a way with people.

* * *

As the last of the pizza was being finished up in the living room and the team was chatting amongst themselves, Carlos started folding the boxes and piling them into the kitchenette bin. _I had no idea one team of seven could eat so much,_ he thought to himself, before a knock at the door made him look up.

"Carlos?" A young woman looked into the kitchenette, her hair falling across her face in auburn streaks. "I saved you some pizza. You didn't eat much."

Carlos stood up and pushed his hair out of his eyes. "Thanks, Jenna," he said, smiling the way only she could make him. Jenna was a sweet girl, a little dreamy and vague, but her knowledge of astronomical physics was why Carlos had brought her along with him on this trip. She was only nineteen - the youngest on the trip - and Carlos thought of her as a sister. He had lost his family to a house fire seven years ago, and she was the only one who had comforted him, almost seeming to understand his grief. Since then, they had become fond friends.

Jenna sat down beside him and handed him a slice of pepperoni pizza. His favourite - their favourite. As he chewed, she studied him with her large tawny eyes. "What's going through your head, Carlos?"

"Oh, lots of things. Lots of little clever things," he said as she smiled. "You know me."

"I do, Carlos, I do." Her hands traced the bubbled scarring along her collarbone - a hint that she was nervous or uncomfortable. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course you can. What is it?" he asked around a mouthful of pizza.

"Well," she started awkwardly, "the others were saying that we were all staying in different houses. Is that true?"

Carlos shrugged. It was half true - to get a big enough laboratory for all the experiments he wanted to run, he had had to buy separate housing for the rest of the team. There was only really enough room in the back of the lab for two people at the most. "Kind of. Why?"

"Well, I don't really know the older scientists on the trip very well, Sam and Jacob won't be separated and Emilize doesn't… well, I don't think she likes me very much."

"That's not true!" Carlos protested

Jenna sighed. "Yes, it is. She's not very nice to me."

Well, Carlos could agree with her there. Emilize wasn't very nice to anyone, not really. He'd only asked her to come with him on the trip because she was one of the most innovative members of the quantum physics team, not for her sunny demeanour. He shrugged again. "So? Where are you going with this?"

"Well…" she ran her hands over her collarbones again. "Where are you staying, Carlos?"

"Me?" He looked at her strangely, before it clicked. "Oh… you want to live with me?"

She nibbled her lip. "If it's not too much trouble. I just get nervous around people I don't know very well."

Carlos laughed, making Jenna smile. "I know, Jenna. I know."

* * *

When Carlos strode into the living room, the chatter instantly died. He may not have been the oldest or the smartest of the team, but he was the leader of this group, and the rest of them knew it. He dropped a map of Night Vale onto the table in the centre so that the whole group could see it.

"Ok team, listen up. In order to make the lab big enough for all the work I have planned, I've bought spare housing for the rest of you. We'll still be relatively close, though. Here," he gestured to a black square on the map inside a red biro circle, "is where we are now. For now, I will be living in the back area with Jenna." He pointed to another square, five up from the lab. "This is one of the houses. It's a two-person home with a small lab in front. How about Emilize and May stay there?"

"Sure! It'll be fun!" May said, smiling at Carlos. Despite being in her forties with a family of five, May had still volunteered to join him, saying it would be an 'interesting experience'. She was one of those people who could warm a room with her smile, and Carlos hoped it would take the edge off of Emilize's icy demeanour.

Emilize glared at him now, her pale blue eyes softening only slightly when he smiled at her.

"Is that ok with you, Emilize?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it's fine."

"Good." Carlos turned back to the map. He gestured to another house, in the street behind the lab and a few houses right. "This is the other house here. It's got enough room for three, plus a small lab, so the boys can stay there, if they're ok with that?"

"Sure thing, boss," Sam said with a wink. Or maybe it was Jacob? He couldn't tell. The two brothers were twins, identical from their spiked hair to their Converse. Carlos hadn't actually planned to invite both of them along. One was a biologist at the university he worked at, and the other was a doctor-in-training from a related branch. He had accidentally invited one, then the other, thinking they were the same person… his mistake.

Carlos glanced over at Captain, who was sitting stiffly upright on his chair, unlike the rest of the group. He was a stark contrast to the twins. His gunpowder grey hair was cut short, military style, and he had an intense stare that could bring an apprentice to his knees. Carlos wasn't sure why he had volunteered for this trip. In fact, he didn't even know what kind of scientist he was. He saw Carlos' questioning look and nodded gravely in assent.

"Great!" Carlos exhaled in relief - that had gone much more smoothly than he had thought it would. "So, the addresses are here," he handed out paper to each one of them, along with a key, "and I'll see you in the morning, yeah?"

With sleepy "goodnight"s and "see you tomorrow!"s, the group slowly filed out of the room and Carlos and Jenna stood by the window, watching them off.

He looked at Jenna. "Remind me to go out and rent cars in the morning, ok?"

"Sure thing."

"Do you want to choose beds? There's only one bedroom here, sorry. I should've mentioned it before."

"That's ok, you pick. I might just stay here for a bit, look at the stars, you know? Me being an astrophysicist and all," she laughed. "It comes with the job."

He left her sitting by the window, gazing up at the sky. He sighed, running his hands through his hair, mussing it up. It was really getting long. Maybe he should get it cut soon. As he dressed for bed, he set up his radio and flicked it over to his favourite station, frowning as his fingers found only static. Maybe it was broken... but it was too late to worry about that tonight. He was just about to turn it off when he caught a snippet of conversation.

_"...is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious…"_

He twisted the knob slightly to the left and the man's voice came into clarity. He lay down his head, planning on dozing while listening, but the man's voice was lulling him into sleep with its deep, rich tones.

_"...Welcome to Night Vale."_

He hadn't realised how exhausted he was until he lay down on the bed and turned off the lights, and his eyes closed. Before long, the only sound in the house was deep, rhythmic breathing and the voice of the man on the radio.

_"Hello listeners. To start things off, I've been asked to read this brief notice…"_


	2. Stage Fright

"Carlos?"

The voice drifted through his sub-consciousness, twisting between the violet lights that peppered his dream. It taunted him, teasing him with its slow, deep rhythm as he searched for it. He reached out, arms glowing through the swirled tattoos circling his arms.

"Carlos…?"

At the edges of his vision, shadows whispered and beckoned with long fingers. The harder he tried to listen for the voice the brighter his tattoos glowed, stripping back the sensuality of the shadows to their cold, harsh core. The pulsing light intensified, burning his eyes as he squinted to see, squeezing his eyes tighter and tighter -

"Carlos!"

His eyes flew open with a start and yelped - Jenna's eyes were inches away from his own.

"Jenna!" He yelled, half-falling out of the bed. Gripping the headrest to stay somewhat upright, he glared at the auburn-haired girl. "What the hell was that? Are you trying to scare me to death?"

She giggled sheepishly, stepping away to give him privacy. Carlos realised that he was still in just his boxers and he blushed, reaching for the nearest clothing - his lab coat. Wrapping its familiar white folds around himself calmed him down in a way that nothing else could, and as he began to breathe normally again, he realised something wasn't quite right. Pulling aside the curtains, he noticed that the sun was already well on its way towards noon. The road shimmered with the early morning heat, and he could tell that today was going to be hot. Today… wasn't something meant to be happening today?

He turned to Jenna. "Was there something on today? I feel like I've forgotten something."

"Well, you see," she said quietly, "That's why I woke you up, Carlos. You organised a town meeting with the Night Vale public today. To explain what we're going to be doing here. I've already rented cars for everyone so we can get there quickly."

Carlos frowned. "Quickly? Why?" His eyes narrowed as his thoughts began to link together. "Jenna… what time is it?"

"Almost 11:30," Jenna replied, handing him a piece of toast and coffee. She knew his 'late' routine - it wasn't the first time he'd slept in on an important day.

"Shit!" Carlos grabbed the food and devoured it, sprinting to the bathroom to get ready – brush and style hair, clean teeth, put on day clothes, new shirt, fix up tie… should he wear his lab coat or his suit?

"Jenna!" Carlos yelled. "What do you-"

"Lab coat. Don't want to make it too formal."

"Thanks!" Carlos buttoned up the coat at supersonic speed, realised he'd lined it up wrong and swore, starting again. Tearing open the bathroom door, he struggled to run on the slippery tiled floor. _Shit, ok, what do I need? Car keys, shoes, speech notes, phone…_

Stumbling to a stop in front of the table, he snatched up all four items, lined neatly in a row. God, Jenna was fantastic. He fumbled with the car keys and swore as coffee spilled down his tie. No! That was his favourite tie.

"Jenna! I need another tie!" he yelled over his shoulder, to hurried consent. Tearing open the front door of the laboratory, he spotted the car - a semi-new Hybrid Coupe, just like his car at home. It took a long time - far too long - to unlock the car and jump inside, and even longer for Jenna to join him, tie in hand. Almost as soon as she had sat down, his foot hit the accelerator and the engine roared, pushing the two scientists into their seats as the car leapt forward, leaving thick black tyre tracks on the road.

* * *

Tap tap. Screeeeeeeee_EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-_

Carlos pulled the microphone away from the speaker with a little more force than was necessary, glancing at the crowd as he did so. The people were spreading outwards from the stage in no particular pattern, like a sprawling city inside the town hall. There were a few journalists and reporters with notepads, pens and recording devices at the ready, waiting. In the middle of the room, a group of people moved in sync with one another, as if in a strange dance. A few more people in suits were leaning menacingly against the back wall, their faces hidden in shadow. An old woman weaving her way through the crowd of curious onlookers, handing out muffins from a wicker basket strung over one arm.

They seemed normal enough, he thought, yet there was something that didn't feel quite… right. He wasn't struck by anything particularly odd or strange. He just had a feeling, an uneasy buzzing in the pit of his stomach, that this wasn't an ordinary job. With a reassuring smile from May and Jenna, he stepped out onto the platform, microphone in hand. The swaying group froze their dance and the crowd's eyes locked onto Carlos. He took a deep breath.

"Good morning, Night Vale. I'm Carlos and I'm a scientist at Harvard University. I've called this meeting so you know what my team and I are doing here, and what we will be doing in your town." Pens scratched on paper and cameras clicked as he continued. "Around the University, there have been rumours of towns all over the world with strange events and occurrences. As a project, my team and I have been given the opportunity to study a town, any town, that might hold scientific value. We've chosen Night Vale because this town is, by far, the most scientifically interesting community in the US. We've come to study just what is going on around here." A titter of laughter flitted through the crowd, and Carlos grinned.

"First, I'd like to introduce the rest of the team," he continued as the group stepped onto the stage. "This is my team; Jenna, May, Jacob, Sam, Emilize and Travers." The group smiled and waved to the onlookers - all except for Captain, who glared at Carlos for using his real name. Carlos grinned sheepishly, before turning back to the crowd.

"The seven of us will be in Night Vale for a while, conducting tests and research, and we may need community assistance. If you want to ask us questions, help us out or just say hi, feel free to approach us. We're always willing to talk to you." He smiled as the crowd applauded politely.

Carlos gestured to Jacob. "Jacob will run you through our schedule, and answer any questions relating to the type of tests we will be running while in Night Vale. Thank you for assisting our research." He handed over the mic and Jacob's words filled the air as the rest of the team followed him off the stage. As soon as he was out of sight of the crowd, he sighed with relief and slumped against the wall.

"Well, thank god that's over," he said, breathing deeply. The feeling in his stomach had lifted. He lifted his head and smiled at his team before pulling a dark green notebook from his pocket and leafing to the first page.

"I thought that we could start researching today? Just a few simple scans, general monitoring, that sort of thing. Just head out and do your own thing today." With murmured assent, the group dispersed and Carlos was left alone, facing the task of mingling with the crowd and getting to know the people. He hated to admit it, but he was the best one in the team for the job. Emilize and Captain were too sullen and introverted, Jacob and Sam weren't overly professional or respectful and Jenna was far too shy. He could have asked May to do it, but he knew that she and Jacob had wanted to run some tests on seismic activity in the area.

Carlos took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, accepting his fate.

_Time to mingle._

* * *

"What do you mean, it went wild? I can't feel… did you try recalibrating the equipment? Yes, May, I know that! Look, give me a second; I've got another call coming through. Can you test it again? Hold on-" Carlos switched the phone lines as his car travelled through the suburb streets.

"Hey Carlos, it's Jenna."

He sighed. "Hi Jenna, what are you up to?"

"Look Carlos, this is urgent. The sun… it hasn't set yet. Look at the time. It should've set ten minutes ago."

He checked his watch and frowned - Jenna was right; the sun should be down by now. But it was a small matter compared to what May was reporting. After talking with the Night Vale public, including the strange group he had been told was the City Council, he had been inundated with calls from his team. Strange earthquake readings on still ground, a day ten minutes longer than normal - and another call, buzzing in his hand.

"Jenna, I'm going to have to put you on hold for a second, ok?" He heard a sigh from Jenna, before switching the lines yet again. "Hello?"

"Carlos," Captain's gruff voice bit at his ear. "I'm not going to be home for dinner. I'm running a few more general sweeps and I should be home around 8:30." He hung up before Carlos could answer, in typical Captain style. Carlos frowned. Captain must have found something really interesting to miss dinner. Pondering what Captain could be up to, he pulled up to the lab, unpacking the Chinese takeaway as his team engulfed him in conversation.

"…the sensors were beeping like crazy! I've never…"

"…sunset was still there. I left and came back and it just…"

"…we double checked the equipment, and it's in perfect working…"

"…not possible. Absolutely not…"

Carlos set down the food at the kitchen table and all conversation stopped as the team devoured honey chicken and dumplings at double speed. While he chewed he switched the radio on, just in time for the news broadcast. The newsreader's voice, that deep, silky voice, fell over them like a blanket, hushing all other noises.

"...and now the news. Old Woman Josie out near the car lot says the angels revealed themselves to her. Said they were ten feet tall, radiant, and one of them was black..."

"He sounds nice," muttered Emilize, through a mouthful of chicken. "Maybe we should ask him to broadcast for us if we need to get news out to the public." Carlos had to admit it was a good idea - he should go down to the studio later and ask.

"Shush!" Jenna flapped her hands at the two of them, "I think he's talking about us."

_"A new man came into town today," _the presenter's voice purred._ "Who is he? What does he want from us? Why his perfect and beautiful haircut? Why his perfect and beautiful coat? He says he is a scientist. Well, we have all been scientists at one point or another in our lives. But why now? Why here?" _

"Sounds like he fancies one of us," Sam says with a wink at Jacob, who grinned at his twin.

"Well I always knew I was attractive to the ladies," he said cockily, "but now I know men find me appealing as well!"

"Me too, brother," laughed Sam, "me too."

Jenna bumped the two of them on the back of the head. "Shut up! I'm trying to listen!"

_"That new scientist– who we now know is named Carlos– called a town meeting. He has a square jaw and teeth like a military cemetery. His hair is perfect, and we all hate and despair and love that perfect hair in equal measure. Old Woman Josie brought corn muffins, which were decent, but lacked salt. She said the angels had taken her salt for a godly mission, and she hadn't yet gotten around to buying more. Carlos told us that we are, by far, the most scientifically interesting community in the US, and he had come to study just what was going on around here. He grinned, and everything about him was perfect, and I fell in love instantly."_

Carlos realised a silence had fallen over the kitchen - a stunned silence. Jacob and Sam both stared at Carlos, open-mouthed, and the rest of the team was giving him strange looks. Carlos' stomach was turning uncomfortably again, that same uneasy feeling that had filled him during his speech earlier that day. He had to get out. He stumbled to the front door and wrenched it open, almost crashing into Captain.

"Watch where you're going!" Captain growled angrily as Carlos ran past him. Jumping into his Hybrid Coupe he started the engine, hitting the gas and driving off. Where to? He didn't know. Not consciously, anyway. It was only when he pulled up in front of the Night Vale Community Radio station that he knew what he was doing. Carlos wanted to know who this man was.

* * *

"Just upstairs sir. Two doors to the left. Don't go right, it's wrong, left is right."

Carlos nodded vaguely, having already started walking away from the strange secretary with long purple hair. The machine in his hands beeped, indicating a steady level of radiation. He needed a reason to come in here, so he had taken his radiation monitor with him. As he walked slowly down the hallway, he heard snippets of the voice, that voice, echoing out from the second door on the left - a studio door. A wall of dark glass revealed the silhouettes of a long table and a man, wearing headphones, speaking into a microphone. The "On Air" light flashed in time with the beeps of his monitor as the man on the radio spoke.

"However, they do say that it's probably safe to match speed with the mysterious lights in the sky, as whatever entities or organizations responsible appear to be cautious and reasonable drivers. And now, the weather." A guitar begins to play to Carlos' confusion - music? I thought it was the weather? - but the man inside was moving towards the door. _Quick, compose yourself. Remember why you're here, Carlos,_ he told himself.

The lock clicked, and the door swung open.


End file.
